Editing World Trade Organization (section)

===Doha Round (Doha Agenda): 2001–present===
{{Main|Doha Development Round}}

The WTO launched the current round of negotiations, the [[Doha Development Round]], at the fourth ministerial conference in [[Doha]], [[Qatar]] in November 2001. This was to be an ambitious effort to make [[globalization]] more inclusive and help the [[Poverty|world's poor]], particularly by slashing barriers and subsidies in farming.<ref name="Ec65">{{Cite magazine|date= 27 July 2006|magazine= [[The Economist]]|title= In the twilight of Doha|page= 65|url= http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7218551|access-date= 21 May 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071112095722/http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7218551|archive-date= 12 November 2007|url-status= live}}</ref> The initial agenda comprised both further [[trade liberalization]] and new rule-making, underpinned by commitments to strengthen substantial assistance to [[Developing country|developing countries]].<ref name=ECdoha>European Commission. [http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/eu-and-wto/doha/index_en.htm "The Doha Round"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230100307/http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/eu-and-wto/doha/index_en.htm |date=30 December 2011 }}.</ref>

Progress stalled over differences between [[Developed country|developed nations]] and the major [[Developing country|low-income and lower-middle income countries]] on issues such as industrial tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade<ref name="crs-2">{{Cite web|publisher=Congressional Research Service|last= Fergusson |first= Ian F.|title= World Trade Organization Negotiations: The Doha Development Agenda|access-date= 26 July 2008|date= 18 January 2008|url= http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/crs/RS21905.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130927181050/http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/crs/RS21905.pdf|archive-date= 27 September 2013|url-status= live}}</ref> particularly against and between the EU and the US over their maintenance of [[agricultural subsidy|agricultural subsidies]]—seen to operate effectively as trade barriers. Repeated attempts to revive the talks proved unsuccessful,<ref>[http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/chair_texts11_e/chair_texts11_e.htm "Documents from the negotiating chairs, 21 April 2011"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010211238/https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/chair_texts11_e/chair_texts11_e.htm |date=10 October 2017 }}. World Trade Organization.</ref> though the adoption of the [[Bali Package|Bali Ministerial Declaration]] in 2013<ref name=wtoBali>[http://mc9.wto.org/draft-bali-ministerial-declaration "Bali Ministerial Declaration and decisions"]. {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131218102932/http://mc9.wto.org/draft-bali-ministerial-declaration |date= 18 December 2013 }}. World Trade Organization. Accessed 31 December 2013.</ref> addressed bureaucratic barriers to commerce.<ref name=bbcBali>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25274889|title= WTO agrees global trade deal worth $1tn|last= Walker|first= Andrew|date= 7 December 2013|work= BBC News|access-date= 7 December 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131207070903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25274889|archive-date= 7 December 2013|url-status= live}}</ref>

{{As of|2012|06}}, the future of the Doha Round remained uncertain: the work programme lists 21 subjects in which the original deadline of 1 January 2005 was missed, and the round remains incomplete.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/doha1_e.htm|title=Understanding the WTO – The Doha agenda|publisher=World Trade Organization|access-date=28 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328104424/https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/doha1_e.htm|archive-date=28 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The conflict between free trade on industrial goods and services but retention of [[protectionism]] on [[farm subsidies]] to domestic [[agricultural sector]]s (requested by [[Developed country|developed countries]]) and the [[substantiation]]{{technical inline|date=June 2019}} of [[fair trade]] on agricultural products (requested by developing countries) remain the major obstacles. This impasse has made it impossible to launch new WTO negotiations beyond the Doha Development Round. As a result, there have been an increasing number of bilateral [[free trade agreements]] between governments.<ref>[http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2011/4/19%20world%20trade%20organization%20meltzer/0419_world_trade_organization_meltzer "The Challenges to the World Trade Organization: It's All About Legitimacy"]. {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130502115006/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2011/4/19%20world%20trade%20organization%20meltzer/0419_world_trade_organization_meltzer |date= 2 May 2013 }}. The Brookings Institution, Policy Paper 2011-04</ref> {{As of|2012|July}} there were various negotiation groups in the WTO system for the current stalemated agricultural trade negotiation.<ref>[http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/negotiating_groups_e.pdf "Groups in the WTO"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110171110/http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/negotiating_groups_e.pdf |date=10 November 2013 }}. World Trade Organization. Updated 1 July 2013.</ref>